Finger holder for cigarettes and the like



April 2, 1968 G. GARCIA FINGER HOLDER FOR CIGARETTES AND THE LIKE Fil ed Oct. 17, 1966 FIG. 6.

FIG]

'INVENTOR. GERONIMO GARCIA FIG. :2 FIG. I3.

ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofi ice 3,375,833 FINGER HOLDER FOR CIGARETTES AND THE LIKE Geronimo'Garcia, 318 -W. 49th St., New York, N.Y. 10018 Filed Oct. 17, 1966, SenNo. 587,030 4 Clairns. .(Cl. 131-258) This invention relates broadly to cigarette and cigar holders, and more specifically to such holders whereby the smoke is mounted on a finger of a hand of'the smoker so that he neednotputit aside, as'on the edge of a table or in an ash tray, while he continues using the hand in whatever he may be doing.

An object of the invention is the provision of such a holder with improvements whereby the cigarette or cigar is firmly held in the holder without danger of the opposed gripping or clamping members thereof either loosening or tightening excessively about the article in case the holder is jarred accidentally.

A further object of the invention is the provision of novel means for adjustably controlling the clamping force of the opposed jaws of the holder to accommodate cigarettes, cigars or the like of diiferent diameters without exerting excessive force against cigarettes etc. which have a larger than the normal minimum diameter.

The above as well as additional objects will be clarified in the following description wherein reference numerals refer to like-numbered parts in the accompanying drawing. It is to be noted that the drawing is intended primarily for the purpose of illustration and it is therefore neither desired nor intended to limit the invention necessarily to all or any of the exact details shown or described except insofar as they may be deemed essential to the invention.

Referring briefly to the drawing,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the holder of the present invention, illustrating the manner in which it may be used.

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the holder.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the holder showing the clamping jaws in their relative positions when not in use.

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the holder showing the clamping jaws in their relative positions when spread widely apart.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIGS. 5 and 6 except that it represents a degree of spreading of the jaws, which is approximately intermediate those represented in FIGS. 5 and 6.

FIGS. 8, 9 and are sectional views taken, respectively, on the section lines 88, 9-9, and 10-10 of FIGS. 5, 6 and 7.

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary enlargement of FIG. 2.

FIGS. 12 and 13 are fragmentary views showing the juxtaposed sides of the two bar portions of the holder.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the numeral 10 indicates generally the holder of the present invention, which is made up of a single length of resilient wire or the like having at its base a helical coil 11 for-med of at least two turns of the wire, through which the finger of the user is adapted to be passed to support the holder thereon.

Converging bends 12 in the upwardly extending straight portions 13 and 14 which, for convenience, may also be termed bars. Extending from the upper extremities of the bars 13 and 14 are opposed approximately semi-circular clamp jaws 15.

It is well known that cigarettes are made in various sizes or diameters, and this is also true of so-called little wire from the coil 11 have 3,375,833 Patented Apr. 2, 1968 cigars or those known as all tobacco cigarettes. In all cases the article has a very thin and easilypunctured or damaged wrapper, whether it be made-of paper or tobacco leaf. If no controlling means is provide tolimit the clamping force upon the article held between the jaws 15, then the larger the diameterofthe article the greater will be the degree of such force with consequent tendency toward damagingthe wrapper, f'or 'the springy wire of the holder results in a clamping force which increases with the degree of spreading of the jaws.

In order to overcome this defect the following provision is made. On the mutually opposed sides of'thebars 13 and 14, preferably near the lower ends thereof, which sides would otherwise be slidable over each other, are shown what may be termed built up platforms 16 and 17, respectively. These platforms separate the two bars a short distance from each other while positioning them normally mutually parallel. The resiliency of the wire urges the two bars toward each other while simultaneously urging the two clamp jaws together into gripping position.

Spaced substantially longitudinal grooves 18 are provided in the flat surface of the platform 16, and a single projection in the form of a pin, peg, tooth or the like 19 is provided on the platform 17, dimensioned to enter into any one of the grooves 18. It is seen that upon spreading the bars along a line at right angles to the plane of the clamp jaws, or to the axis of the coil 11, the pin 19 may be disengaged from a groove to reengage it in another groove, and that in whatever groove the pin is engaged, the two bars will be restrained from bringing the clamp jaws closer together. Owing to the small width of the grooves, it is apparent that a very fine adjustment of the diameter of the substantially circular passage through the clamp jaws, is attainable.

Assuming that a cigarette or a little cigar has a diameter smaller or larger than a given size so that it is desired to accommodate the holder to the new size, the bars 13 and 14 are spread apart first to disengage the pin and with the pin disengaged they are spread apart to separate the clamp jaws to enlarge the said passage, or brought closer together to reduce the passage. In either case the bars are so held that the cigarette may fit freely but with little excessive clearance in the passage between the jaws. Then, upon releasing the bars, the pin will enter the groove 18 next adjacent the cigarette whence the jaws will be restricted to a relatively small degree of force in closing against the cigarette.

If the full unrestrained force of the spring wire is free to act upon, for example, a larger size cigarette it would be greater than that actually required and would tend to deform, possibly penetrate, or otherwise damage the cigarette wrapper by permitting the jaws to move together through a greater distance than necessary to securely hold the cigarette. When the jaws are thus restricted to move through a small distance or arc, it is apparent that the cigarette is immune to being damaged. It is to be noted that a projection such as that at 19 might extend directly from the bar 14 without the provision of the platform 17, but in that case the bar 17 might be subject to a degree of twisting tending to disengage the pin owing to the absence of the flat engaging surfaces of the two platforms.

I claim:

1. A holder of the class described made of a single length of deformed resilient wire comprising a coil for mounting the holder on a finger, convergently bent portions extending upward from the ends of said coil, straight bar portions extending upward in close proximity to each other from the upper ends of said bent portions, and complementary clamp jaws extending from the upper ends of said bar portions and being adapted to clamp a cigarette or the like therebetween, the resiliency of said wire normally urging said bar portions toward each other in directions lying in a plane at right angles to the axis of said coil and simultaneously urging said jaws toward each other in directions lying in a common plane with said axis, and adjustable interengaging means on the juxtaposed sides of said bar portions for limiting the distance through which said jaws may approach each other after the same have been spread apart to accommodate the cigarette and then released.

2. A holder according to claim 1, said interengaging means being positioned near the lower ends of said bar portions.

3. A holder according to claim 2, said interengaging means comprising substantially longitudinal spaced grooves on one of said bar portions and a projecting pin 4 on the other of said bar portions selectively engageable in said grooves.

4. A holder according to claim 2, said interengaging means comprising raised platforms on both of said bar portions, one of said platforms having substantially 10ngitudinal grooves therein, the other of said platforms having a projecting pin engageable selectively in said grooves.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 6/1936 Gailey 13l258 2/1964 Warren l3l258 

1. A HOLDER OF THE CLASS DESCRIBED MADE OF A SINGLE LENGTH OF DEFORMED RESILIENT WIRE COMPRISING A COIL FOR MOUNTING THE HOLDER ON A FINGER, CONVERGENTLY BENT PORTIONS EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM THE ENDS OF SAID COIL, STRAIGHT BAR PORTIONS EXTENDING UPWARD IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO EACH OTHER FROM THE UPPER ENDS OF SAID BENT PORTIONS, AND COMPLEMENTARY CLAMP JAWS EXTENDING FROM THE UPPER ENDS OF SAID BAR PORTIONS AND BEING ADAPTED TO CLAMP A CIGARETTE OR THE LIKE THEREBETWEEN, THE RESILIENCY OF SAID WIRE NORMALLY URGING SAID BAR PORTIONS TOWARD EACH OTHER IN DIRECTIONS LYING IN A PLANE AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE AXIS OF SAID COIL AND SIMULTANEOUSLY URGING SAID JAWS TOWARD EACH OTHER IN DIRECTIONS LYING IN A COMMON PLANE WITH SAID AXIS, AND ADJUSTABLE INTERENGAGING MEANS ON THE JUXTAPOSED SIDES OF SAID BAR PORTIONS FOR LIMITING THE DISTANCE THROUGH WHICH SAID JAWS MAY APPROACH EACH OTHER AFTER THE SAME HAVE BEEN SPREAD APART TO ACCOMMODATE THE CIGARETTE AND THEN RELEASED. 